THE HUNT FOR AARON KEENER
by BadNan0
Summary: An ex-Rogue Agent is reinstated with the Division for a single objective: locate the traitor Aaron Keener hiding somewhere in the ruins of Chicago and execute him. The mission is complicated by distrustful allies and enemies all too willing to bar his way. To kill a monster, sometimes you need to become what you hate the most...


**SHD/DECLASSIFIED: THE HUNT FOR AARON KEENER**

**by BadNan0**

**Author's Note:** All trademarked rights belong to both Ubisoft and Ubisoft Massive. All material used from The World of Tom Clancy's The Division sourcebook belongs to both Ubisoft and Dark Horse Comics. All OC's are solely my own creation. This fanfiction is not-for-profit solely for the enjoyment of the Division Community (both players and content creators). Special thanks to KayBeeLDN and Division_HGG for the inspiration!

**Historical Note:** The events of this story take place shortly after the SHD Network is restored by Second Wave agents in TD2.

Outside of Wrigley Field

At the corner of Addison & Clark

30th June 2016

0600HRS

The hostages were a miserable lot of all ages. Seniors wrapped in tattered bathrobes and flip-flops. Dirty-faced toddlers attired in soiled jeans and worn T-shirts. The teen mothers with smeared make-up, clutching ripped clothing together who sobbed unceasingly. Also present were two JTF soldiers, bloody and beaten up, whose hands were zip-tied behind them. The sun had just begun to rise in the sky.

In a circle around the hostages were the Sin City Rollers, the bottom-feeders of the various enemy factions that plagued Chicago. They wore black jeans and red tank tops; their leaders could be identified by the red bandanas worn on their heads. This group was mainly armed with Type-56 assault rifles, the Chinese variant of the venerable AK-47. A few had 12-guage Remington 870 Tactical shotguns. In the back of the throng closer to the main entrance of the ball park were two armored brutes with RPK-74 light machine guns held lazily in front of them.

After a few minutes had passed the Sin City Rollers parted ranks to allow a single figure to approach the hostages. His name according to the JTF-Chicago database was Johnny 'Yayo' DeSoto, one of the main lieutenants of the Rollers. DeSoto had an extensive criminal history; his convictions included armed robbery, murder, and sexual assault.

Prior to the Green Poison outbreak, he was listed as awaiting trial and in custody at the Cook County Jail. Unfortunately just like what happened at Rikers Island in NYC, the Cook County Jail also experienced an uprising of the inmate population. DeSoto hooked up with the Rollers after he beheaded the mayor of Chicago with a fire axe. Now he was the de facto warlord of the Wrigleyville area.

The Roller lieutenant wore his finest for today's festivities. Oakley Gascan sunglasses shielded his eyes from the morning glare. Heavy roped gold chains decorated his neck. A CPD issued bullet-proof vest protected his torso. True Religion black jeans and steel-capped Doc Martens boots completed his outfit. A Remington R1 .45 ACP pistol sat in a Kydex holster on his hip.

In his right hand was a Louisville Slugger wrapped with barbed wire and spiked with nails. Fresh blood dripped down the length of his bat.

"Good Morning Cubs Fans! Are your ready for the Daily Double?"

DeSoto grinned wickedly. Every morning he chose two victims to be executed. It served to keep the populace docile and to ensure they continued to pay their tribute to the Rollers. He swaggered back and forth among the hostages, twirling the bat which flicked blood onto the mewling hostages. The only ones that didn't seem to be properly fearful were the two JTF soldiers.

Hmmm….have to fix that, he thought to himself.

The first JTF soldier, PFC David Lebowski, was an eighteen-year old Army National Guardsman who only enlisted to earn extra money to go to college. The only excitement he saw before the Green Poison was being called out for natural disasters. He never fired a shot in anger outside of playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare on console. PFC Lebowski's biggest regret was going to die a virgin.

The second JTF soldier, Master Sergeant Ward Garrison, was active-duty Army. He was a forty-year old veteran who has served on several overseas deployments with the 20th Engineer Brigade (Airborne). His awards included a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts. MSgt. Garrison never imagined in a million years he'd die on American soil. His biggest regret was sleeping with that cute drone controller back at the White House in D.C.

'Yayo' DeSoto took out a vial of coke then snorted all two grams to get himself jazzed up. Murder made his blood sing. He was an artist of the macabre. But whose head did he want to decorate his throne room? The dopey Opie looking private? Or the mopey looking sergeant? Decisions, decisions… what is a rock star to do? The Roller lieutenant started to lift his bat towards the Master Sergeant when the ball park's loudspeakers came alive with music.

"Touch Me

How can it be

Believe Me

The Sun Always Shines on TV…"

The Sin City Rollers had their weapons up and ready. They were facing out in all directions, unsure of what exactly was going on. 'Yayo' DeSoto was confused too especially since his best tech guy told him there was no way to power up Wrigley Field's public address system. The Roller lieutenant pulled out his R1.45 ACP pistol and racked back the slide. He didn't know who was trying to crash his party but they were going to get killed real soon.

"Hold Me

Close to Your Heart

Touch Me

And Give All Your Love To Me

To Me…"

When the song hit its crescendo, two sharp barks were heard as 140-grain 6.5mm Creedmore rounds went supersonic and struck the helmeted RPK-74 machine gunners in the forehead. They slumped to the sidewalk leaving a trail of blood on the wall behind them. Unseen by the panicking Rollers, a pair of strategically placed Division Bull's-Eye sniper turrets swept their heavy barrels back and forth awaiting commands to engage new targets. Many of the armed rabble fired their Type-56 assault rifles without even finding a target to shoot at.

A fiery explosion sent a Yellow Cab flying into the air that pulled a group of Rollers away from the hostages. When they were more than twenty meters away from the hostages, a loud THUMP! echoed off the buildings as a 20mm red-colored canister impacted among them. It released a flammable gas that ignited when one of the Rollers chose at that moment to let off a blast with his 12-gauge shotgun. All six gang members were on fire. The smell of cooking flesh filled the already thick air.

"I reached inside myself and found

Nothing there to ease the

Pressure of my ever worrying mind…"

While the Sin City Rollers were in disarray, a solitary figure popped up from a manhole on Clark Street. A Division smartwatch glowed with its uniform orange circle. The hooded figure scrambled over to the captive JTF soldiers with a Leatherman MUT multi-tool in hand.

In a few quick cuts with the Leatherman's wire-cutters both soldiers were freed. The agent's hood fell away to reveal a mop of blue-dyed hair. Jade green eyes scanned the streets for any immediate threats. Master Sergeant Garrison and Private Lebowski stared at their rescuer. She looked like she was still in high school. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Rei 'Katana' Watanabe was the heiress to Watanabe Heavy Industries, one of the companies that supplied components for the Division's ShadeTech. Her great-grandfather served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II. Her father once worked in the Japanese Ministry of Defense's SR unit as a covert operative. Not satisfied with living a privileged life, Rei enlisted in the Marines as an 8623 UAV Systems Operator. Specializing in Target Surveillance & Location, then Lance Corporal Watanabe assisted Marine Raiders with the elimination of Taliban leaders in Helmand province. She went on to become a 1710 Cyberspace Offensive Weapons/Warrant Officer. She was recruited into the Division while in graduate school at MIT.

She tossed the JTF soldiers the dropped Type-56 assault rifles then pointed to the civilians still on the street.

"Sarge, you 'n the greenhorn here move these civvies out of the line of fire! Grab some spare mags then hole up in a secure area."

Master Sergeant Garrison and Private Lebowski quickly searched the dead for spare 7.62x39mm magazines for their assault rifles. Both soldiers herded the hostages together as best they could towards the burnt down ruins of a McDonald's. Rei unslung her 9mm Heckler&Koch MP5K PDW and pulled back the cocking handle. It wouldn't be too long before 'Yayo' DeSoto and the Rollers to realize their hostages were missing. She took up position behind a parked CTA bus then tapped her audiometric earpiece to connect to the Intra-Team comms channel.

"KATANA to SANDMAN. Time to unleash hell on these douchebags. Over."

"All my powers waste away

I fear the crazed and lonely

Looks the mirror's sending me these days…"

Among the various explosions and bangs of high-powered military small arms, a high-pitched whine filled the air. A helmeted rider sped along on an orange & black Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Inside the rider's helmet a holographic display marked enemy positions. Rollers opened fire on the rider. 7.62mm bullets and 12-gauge buckshot flew past the speeding biker.

As soon as he saw on the HUD that all targets were locked-on, he thumbed the release for the dozen Seeker mines to detach from their dispensers.

De-magnetized from the motorcycle, they bounced along the pavement until their drives activated. Targeting lasers confirmed their pre-selected victims then the mines sped off towards the Rollers. A dozen explosions rocked the area as the thugs were torn apart by C4 charges and shrapnel. As soon as those Rollers were eliminated, the mysterious rider slid the bike to a stop. He shut off the engine and put the kick-stand out. After securing the bike with a biometric lock, the rider took off his helmet.

"SANDMAN to KATANA, sitrep, Over."

Commander J.T. Broussard, team leader for the Division's Keener Sanctions Group (KSG), brought up his IWI CTAR-21 bullpup assault rifle. A Roller tried to shoot him but Broussard dropped him with a well-placed burst of 5.56x45mm FMJ to the chest. Another popped up from behind a planter but also was killed on the spot by Broussard's marksmanship. He saw the JTF soldiers holding off another group of Rollers trying to move on the McDonald's.

"KATANA here boss. We've downed the majority of the Sin City Rollers but they're calling for reinforcements. The JTF survivors are keeping the enemy at bay but we need to wrap this up. Those civvies aren't going to last long with all the lead flying out here."

Broussard pulled a M67 fragmentation grenade from his go-bag, pulled the pin with his teeth, and tossed it towards a charging group of Rollers. The WHUMP! blew the group into chunks of flesh. Blood sprayed onto the pavement. Master Sergeant Garrison flashed him a thumb's up sign then went back to shooting at the never-ending stream of thugs coming from the adjacent buildings.

"Standby one, KATANA. Going higher." Broussard tapped his earpiece twice to switch to the JTF Citywide Tactical Channel. "SANDMAN to ICE QUEEN. Requesting QRF and Evac at these coordinates ASAP."

Thirty seconds passed. Then Broussard heard in his earpiece: "Roger that SANDMAN. QRF and Evac are on the way. Ten mikes out."

A bullet spanged off the brick wall next to Commander Broussard's head. He rolled forward towards the rear bumper of a Honda Pilot. He saw that the distance between him and the sniper was too long for his CTAR-21 to be effective. Broussard tapped his Division-issued smartwatch.

"ISAC. Transmit targeting information to North side turret. Engage."

"Affirmative. Engaging now."

The Bull's-Eye sniper turret swiveled its heavy barrel in the direction of the enemy. As soon as the enemy popped his head out, a third 6.5mm Creedmore round streaked through the air and punched through yet another thug's skull. Broussard cautiously stood up with the CTAR-21 at his side. Up and down both Addison and Clark, whistles were heard calling for more Rollers to join the fight. The Division commander checked how many remaining mags of ammo he had. He looked around the immediate area then carefully moved closer to where the JTF and their charges were holed up.

Meanwhile, 'Yayo' DeSoto fired his .45 pistol in the direction of Rei Watanabe. The bullets struck a concrete barrier that the Division agent was using for cover. She fired off a burst from her 9mm Heckler&Koch PDW that ricocheted inside the abandoned bar 'Yayo' was hiding in. The battle had gone badly for Yayo's crew since the Division agents intervened in the public execution. He grabbed a Molotov from a box, lit it with his Bic lighter, and threw it at Agent Watanabe. As flames engulfed the barrier, Rei rolled to her right then fired a second burst into the pub. Yayo ducked behind the mahogany bar as 9mm bullets thunked into the heavy wood.

At the McDonald's, Broussard discussed an extraction plan for the civilians with the JTF soldiers. They agreed on a route south of Wrigley Field that would provide the most cover for the refugees. Broussard handed out a spare Motorola SRX 2200 portable radio to stay in contact with friendly forces. Private Lebowski led the terrified group out towards the designated LZ for pick up. Master Sergeant Garrison gave a salute to Commander Broussard before he took his place providing rear security for the caravan. Broussard took a quick sip of water from his Camelbak. He was about to check in on Rei when he heard the gunshots coming from what used to be Hi-Tops Sports Bar.

Rei was down to her last magazine in her go-bag. Thirty more rounds of 9mm and she'd be down to her .45 CQB pistol. She knew Yayo had more men inbound and if the Division team didn't haul ass out of Wrigleyville soon, well there were some fates worse than death. Agent Watanabe low crawled closer to the bar's front door. She slowly raised her head to locate where the Rollers lieutenant was when she was savagely kicked in the head. Rei's vision swam out of focus as intense pain flooded her skull.

Yayo followed up that kick by ramming the handle of his spiked bat into Rei's chest. Even with the Gila Guard Iguana armored vest protecting her torso, the blow still knocked the wind out of her. She dodged an overhead swing from Yayo's bat which struck the floor. While Yayo was struggling to get his bat free, she raised her H&K SMG to shoot him. Aware of the immediate danger he was in, Yayo left his bat where it was as Rei emptied all 30 rounds of 9mm into the spot the thug was standing on. Bullets impacted the walls, ricocheted off steel fixtures, and shattered empty glasses. She dropped the now empty sub-machine gun and switched to her .45 CQB pistol, holding it in a modified Weaver grip.

Her vision wasn't fully recovered. She sensed movement to her right so she aimed as best she could and triggered a couple of shots. Yayo fired back with his R1 .45 pistol. He aimed high because he enjoyed playing with his victims. His shots broke a couple of lights above a pool table. Yayo squeezed the trigger a third time but all he heard was a metallic click which meant he was out of ammo. He was about to discard his pistol but decided against it. Yayo still had a use for the handgun.

The Division agent still saw stars in her eyes. Rei knew when they got back to the BoO, she was going straight to the Infirmary. She was exhibiting all the classic signs of a concussion. When she heard the crunch of glass on the floor behind her, Rei extended her arms and fired four shots at where she thought Yayo was. She realized too late that she had made a lethal mistake as Yayo tackled her from behind.

Yayo threw a rabbit punch to the back of Rei's head. She responded with an elbow strike that broke Yayo's nose with a sickening crunch. Yayo brought down a hammer fist on Rei's face that drew blood. He managed to press the magazine release on Rei's .45; the mag fell to the floor lost among the debris. Rei tried to kill Yayo with the remaining round in the chamber but Yayo racked back the slide far enough to cause the round to stovepipe and become stuck in the ejection port. Rei threw another elbow strike that flattened Yayo's already ruined nose. She then grabbed the crotch of his jeans, yanked down on his balls, and viciously twisted them.

Shock was evident in Yayo's eyes as he shrieked like a neutered bull. Rei reversed her grip on the CQB .45; now she was holding it by the barrel. She started pistol-whipping Yayo in the face. Repeated blows tore open bleeding wounds on the gangbanger's face. The coup-de-gras came when Rei broke Yayo's jaw spraying blood and saliva on the pool table. The Roller lieutenant collapsed onto the floor, totally spent.

Rei then recovered the magazine for her pistol and searched the unconscious Yayo. She found some loose rounds and another 7-round magazine. The Division agent finished securing Yayo with plastic handcuffs when the front door creaked open. Rei dropped to one knee and aimed her handgun towards the entrance.

Commander Broussard lowered his assault rifle and looked at the unconscious Roller lieutenant. He grinned at the other agent as Rei finished gathering her go-bag and empty sub-machine gun.

"Now see Rei," Broussard drawled, "this is the reason why you can't find a date on Saturday night…"

Rei flipped him the bird. All she wanted was a hot shower and suck down a Percocet or two.

Broussard was about to respond when ISAC made the one announcement all Division agents hated to hear in the field.

"Danger…hostiles incoming."

Four blocks south of where the Division agents were dragging a maimed Yayo DeSoto for transport back to the BoO for interrogation, Master Sergeant Garrison and Private Lebowski were again keeping the Sin City Rollers at bay with suppressive fire from their captured assault rifles.

"Sarge! I'm down to my last mag!", yelled Private Lebowski. Behind the soldiers there were the civilians; half of whom were crying and the others were praying to whichever deity could offer them salvation from this hell on earth. Bullets pocked the building they were taking refuge in.

Master Sergeant Garrison tossed a spare magazine of 7.62x39mm ammo to the private. Then he pulled out the Motorola SRX 2200 portable radio and pressed the transmit button. He hoped either the Division or the JTF responded. Outside were at least sixty or more Rollers converging on this building.

"MASTER BLASTER to FIREBASE BLACKHAWK. Where is the QRF and our Evac birds? Am facing at least a company sized hostile element closing in on my position. Be advised that I have a group of civilians in my custody. Need an ETA. Over."

Garrison had Private Lebowski flick the selector on his Type-56 assault rifle to semi-auto to conserve ammo. He called out targets to the younger soldier. To Garrison's surprise, Lebowski hit his targets with surprising accuracy. Rollers took 123-grain steel-cased 7.62x39mm rounds either center-mass or straight through the 'ol brain-pan. The hand-held radio crackled a response.

"FIREBASE BLACKHAWK to MASTER BLASTER. Your relief and transport should be arriving soon. Sit tight. Out."

Garrison swore under his breath. The Rollers were pressing closer. Even though Lebowski cut down at least twenty, there were still more moving up using the abandoned cars for cover. Garrison also switched to semi-auto and fired away at the gangbangers trying to charge in. He looked back at the civilians. They were scared and in shock. He used the iron sights on his Type-56 to zero in on a Roller calling out orders. That Roller's head snapped back as it was pierced by the bullet the master sergeant sent his way. He needed a damn miracle.

"SANDMAN to MASTER BLASTER. Standby for Mad Minute. Acknowledge.", crackled the radio.

Garrison smiled. The Mad Minute was war's equivalent of going All-In in Texas Hold 'Em poker. Go big or go home in a body bag. The Division commander was Garrison's kind of operator. He pressed the transmit button on the portable radio.

"Roger that, SANDMAN. Ready for Mad Minute to commence."

When the Rollers stood up from cover and advanced to rush the building, they failed to notice the two ShadeTech drones hovering above them. Rei Wanatnabe used her smartwatch to send in the C-10B Bombardier for the initial pass. A scant hundred meters from the entrance, the C-10B or the 'Cee-One-Oh BOOM as it was affectionately known by Division agents and techs, released it lethal payload. Dozens of bomblets fell onto the unsuspecting Rollers then burst among the mob. Napalm splashed then ignited as a wall of flame separated the attackers from their intended victims. Screams could be heard as the Rollers tried to put out the flames in vain.

Commander Broussard appeared from behind a trash dumpster with a RPG-7 rocket launcher. He squeezed the trigger and the OG-7V rocket streaked towards the remaining Rollers who weren't barbequed by Rei's attack. The 40mm warhead, specialized for the anti-personnel role, detonated among the groups still caught in the open. Gangbangers were ripped apart by the shrapnel or crushed by the blast. Secondary fires bloomed into life from the remaining fuel in the various abandoned cars and trucks.

Rei switched to the second drone, a Striker class UCAV. The S-16 Shrike had a top mounted magazine that held 100 rounds of 5.7mm ammunition. She tapped commands on her smartwatch to suppress the remaining enemies as Commander Broussard moved into position to finish them off. Rei was about to leave her rooftop perch when she saw movement behind the KSG leader.

"Boss! Duck!", she exclaimed over the Inter-Team channel.

Broussard rolled to the right narrowly being crushed by a sledgehammer. A seven-foot tall brute armored in Explosive Ordnance Disposal field gear stood before him. Broussard quickly brought up his CTAR-21 and fired a burst. The bullets hit the brute's chest but failed to have any effect on him. The Division commander cursed his luck as he leapt over the hood of a CPD patrol car. The brute's second attack shattered the windshield of the police vehicle. Broussard hurriedly switched the rounds on his chemical launcher.

When the brute lumbered into view, Broussard fired the chemical launcher. The round exploded upon impact which released a purple-hued corrosive agent that covered the brute entirely.

The brute gagged and coughed as the corrosive gas made the armor more brittle. Broussard noticed the Shrike drone start to move towards his position. The commander tapped his audiometric earpiece. He didn't need the assistance from his partner.

"SANDMAN to KATANA. Keep the Shrike on its current station. Besides, I didn't get my cardio this morning. Have ISAC play some motivational music so I can finish up down here."

Rei shook her head in amazement. She kept the Shrike in position to fire short bursts which held the remaining Rollers behind cover. Rei went over a playlist store on her smartwatch. She grinned evilly when the choice was made.

"ISAC, play Juke Joint Jezebel by KMFDM. Channel it through local area speakers."

Looped guitar riffs and electofunk beats blared from a thousand different sources. The brute pulled himself together and lumbered towards Commander Broussard. The Division agent had shrugged off his Eberlestock backpack and laid down his CTAR-21. He held a ZT Traumahawk in his left hand and the FN 5.7mm Tactical pistol in his right. A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"C'mon Baby Huey! Think you got the skills to kill a legend?"

The brute picked up his sledgehammer and let out a growl. The Division commander let out a Rebel Yell that would have made his Confederate ancestors proud. As he angled away from yet another skull-crushing blow, he swung the ZT Traumahawk which broke off the brute's left thigh plate. Broussard rolled to one knee and shot his pistol twice. Both rounds struck the exposed area. Flesh tore and blood spurted from the injured brute.

'Be mine, Sister Salvation

Juke Joint Jezebel is coming for my cremation

Be mine, Sister Salvation

Closer now, see the revelation…'

The brute lumbered forward then charged Broussard again. He swung at the Division agent's legs barely missing Broussard's knee-cap. Broussard lashed out with the Traumahawk smashing the brute's right thigh plate. He aimed at the brute's left knee and crippled him with a 5.7mm stinger that left the brute howling with rage.

Weapons fire dropped off then ceased altogether as both sides witnessed this epic battle. As Rei watched the ebb and flow of this grisly melee, she wondered for the umpteenth time if the rumors were true that the Sandman was the Division agent who trained the Hunters.

She knew only what was in his SHD personnel file. He was a former Olympic gold medalist in pistol and rifle events. An enforcer for the Black Lotus Society, a triad from Hong Kong, as a teen mixed up with the wrong crowd. During that time he was mentored by Mark Chang, the legendary 'God of Gunfighters', in expanding his skills in the dark arts. After slaughtering an Abu Sayaff cell that had kidnapped Chang's granddaughter, the CIA's Manila station chief recruited him into the Special Operations Group. Post 9/11, Broussard led the infamous Wolfhounds a wet-works unit that specialized in black-bag jobs and the extraordinary rendition of high-value targets. In mid-2008, the Board of Directors recruited him into the SHD. Besides the standard year-long orientation for new agents, he was selected for The Finishing School an advanced course with hands-on instruction from Sam Fisher of Third Echelon. Rei still had the morale patch all graduates were awarded. OMFFS. Old Man Fisher's Finishing School, a grueling course that had two classes wash out.

He was set up with a new identity as an independent bookseller. Broussard made a tidy profit selling fantasy and science-fiction books to college students and other assorted nerds. His store was still secure near the Brown line El stop at Belmont Avenue. It was now converted to a Division safehouse for the North Side of the city.

As she turned back her focus on the battle between her partner and the brute, Rei remembered the instructions she was given by Michelle Westen, Director of the Kansas Core. Even though Commander Broussard was reinstated into the Division, he once was a Rogue agent. The minute he was disavowed a second time, Rei's mandate was clear. Kill the Sandman.

Down below, Broussard had already hacked off both shoulder pauldrons of the brute's armor. The brute was limping badly and trailing copious amounts of blood behind him. Snarls and grunts were exchanged with every blow. The Division commander already holstered his pistol in favor of an Ontario M9 bayonet. The brute caught the agent as his back was turned with the sledgehammer. Broussard struck back with the Traumahawk, slicing open new wounds on the brute's forearms. They slowly circled each other, two apex predators who knew the end was near.

Broussard stutter-stepped first leaning in left then juked right. As the massive sledgehammer flew through empty air, Broussard rammed his bayonet into the bottom of the brute's right bicep. Muscles were torn and tendons shredded by the vicious thrust. The brute struck back with a left hook that spun Broussard around. The Division commander retaliated by bringing down the Traumahawk in an overhead swing that cleaved the brute's helmet in two. Both pieces shattered and littered the sidewalk. The brute's face was now exposed. His brown hair was matted with sweat and blood. Broussard broke the other man's remaining knee with a well-placed kick. He lifted the brute's chin with his bayonet.

"When you see the Devil, tell him the Sandman said hello."

Broussard swung the Traumahawk and beheaded the brute with a single blow. Panic now seized the remaining Rollers who now fled the scene. Rei recalled both ShadeTech drones now that the battle was over. The reassuring sounds of arriving JTF UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters made the survivors cheer. Fresh JTF troops wearing Modular Scalable Vests and wielding M4 carbines secured a perimeter. Master Sergeant Garrison and Private Lebowski herded the newly freed hostages towards the helicopters for evacuation.

Rei was dragging a now conscious Yayo DeSoto who realized just how much trouble he was in. She directed two JTF soldiers to secure him for transport back to the BoO. DeSoto would be held in solitary confinement until he was interrogated by the base's staff. It would not be a pleasant experience. She sincerely hoped that Yayo wouldn't give them the information on Aaron Keener right away. Rei wanted this prick to suffer.

Commander Broussard had gathered up his equipment and issued instructions to other JTF soldiers to retrieve his electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He joined Rei next to the wreckage of a FedEx delivery van. They looked both utterly exhausted. Broussard handed over a Slim Jim to Agent Watanabe. Rei ripped off the wrapper and started chewing the snack.

"So what's next boss?" Rei washed down her snack with a bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade.

Broussard took a sip of cool water from his Camelbak bladder. He saw the grateful looks from both the civilian survivors and from Master Sergeant Garrison who waved at the agents. He finished his Slim Jim as the B;ackhawks began lifting off back to the BoO.

"We're going to make DeSoto sing and believe me he will talk after we put him through The Gauntlet. If Aaron Keener is anywhere in Chicago, we'll find him. Then we'll kill him.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
